Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Viewpoints: National Traumatic Brain Registry Could Transform Care, Help Find A Cure; Success Or Failure?: Pros, Cons Of The ACA

Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.

Stat:
The U.S. Needs A Nationwide Registry For Traumatic Brain Injury
The congressional Brain Injury Task Force, co-chaired by Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), spoke to hundreds of people gathered at the Rayburn House Office Building last week. The crowd included brain injury survivors, caregivers, advocates, policymakers, and various divisions of the health care industry to discuss a growing public health crisis. One area of focus was the development of a national traumatic brain injury registry, a vital step for getting a handle on how best to manage this difficult-to-treat condition. (Keita Mori, 3/11)

Modern Healthcare:
The Affordable Care Act Works, And We Have The Data To Prove It
We know the law works, because the data proves it. And if Congress commits to improvements—adjusting the framework to make coverage more affordable for everyone and adding a public option, which was in the original draft of the ACA, we will continue to progress toward universal coverage. Continuing to push forward with payment models that reward quality outcomes rather than quantity of procedures and drive innovation in the delivery system will result in a healthier country. That’s the road to realizing President Obama’s vision. And it’s the right thing to do. (Kathleen Sebelius, 3/11)

Modern Healthcare:
The Affordable Care Act Has Failed The American People
Democrats trust the government to run your healthcare. I trust you and your doctor. Healthcare reform should lower health insurance premiums and expand freedom and choice so workers and families can choose the healthcare that’s right for them—not be forced into the healthcare that’s dictated by federal bureaucrats. Now is the time for Republicans in Congress to deliver on our healthcare promises to the American people. We must get the job done. The Personalized Care Act moves us one step closer. (Ted Cruz, 3/10)

The Hill:
US Visa Policy Violates The Human Rights Of Transplant Candidates And The Terminally Ill
Can you imagine needing a life-saving transplant and then having a family member, who is an exact donor match, denied entry into the U.S. for a medical procedure that could save your life? Or being denied your dying wish to see your foreign parent, sibling or child because they could not gain permission to enter the U.S.? For many patients, this is a harsh reality and a violation of their basic human rights. (Christina T. Holder, 3/10)

The Hill:
The Supreme Court Should Listen To The Doctors Who Care For Abortion Patients
I am a family medicine physician and have been providing abortion in Texas for the past five years. I came back to Texas after my residency and fellowship to do this work because I was worried about what Texans who needed access to safe, legal abortion would do if there weren’t doctors available to provide the care. At that time, politicians in the Lone Star State were systematically shutting down abortion clinics using a medically unnecessary abortion restriction that was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court. Now the court is reviewing an identical law from Louisiana because a lower federal court failed to follow precedent and strike it down. (Dr. Bhavik Kumar, 3/11)

Modern Healthcare:
Protecting Privacy Will Protect Interoperability
Is patient privacy a thing of the past? It's a fair question after HHS issued the new data sharing rules required by the 21st Century Cures Act, a bipartisan bill passed in the final month of the Obama administration. The new interoperability standard sets a two-year deadline for hospitals, physician practices, electronic health record vendors and insurers to begin sharing sensitive medical data with each other and with patients. They must also share it with third-party vendors. (Merrill Goozner, 3/11)

Stat:
Gynecology, A Surgical Specialty, Is Devalued As 'Women's Work'
For much of the 20th century, the work of medicine in the U.S. was performed by predominantly male physicians. As women began entering medical schools in larger numbers during the 1970s, some specialties were welcoming to women, others weren’t. Surgical specialties were particularly resistant to the inclusion of women, with the exception of obstetrics and gynecology. After decades of increasing percentages of women entering gynecology, the field became the first majority women surgical specialty in 2012. (Sarah Temkin, 3/12)

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